BACKGROUND: The concept of fractional delivery modality of the energy with both ablative and non-ablative devices is now well known and accepted as an effective method to attain significant aesthetic improvements on facial aging skin. A new, multi-modal, fractional, ablative CO2 laser that can create, using same scanner/handpiece, deep columns in addition to superficial ablation has been recently proposed and therefore investigated. METHOD: Twenty-four patients were enrolled in this evaluation. Each of them received one multi-modal, fractional ablative treatment. Patients were clinically and photographically evaluated at baseline and 6 months after the procedure. The degree of photoaging and the efficacy of treatment were evaluated using a VAS five-point scale of some skin features. A 3D images comparison was furthermore performed to objectify the improvements. RESULTS: For all of the analysed skin features of photodamage a significant, statistical improvement was obtained. The data collected with the 3D system demonstrated an average improvement of 42% of the wrinkles and an average improvement of the melanin variation of 40.1%. CONCLUSIONS: The multi-modal approach with a single handpiece allows obtaining good outcomes with a very low incidence of adverse effects and a short downtime.
BACKGROUND: The concept of fractional delivery modality of the energy with both ablative and non-ablative devices is now well known and accepted as an effective method to attain significant aesthetic improvements on facial aging skin. A new, multi-modal, fractional, ablative CO2 laser that can create, using same scanner/handpiece, deep columns in addition to superficial ablation has been recently proposed and therefore investigated. METHOD: Twenty-four patients were enrolled in this evaluation. Each of them received one multi-modal, fractional ablative treatment. Patients were clinically and photographically evaluated at baseline and 6 months after the procedure. The degree of photoaging and the efficacy of treatment were evaluated using a VAS five-point scale of some skin features. A 3D images comparison was furthermore performed to objectify the improvements. RESULTS: For all of the analysed skin features of photodamage a significant, statistical improvement was obtained. The data collected with the 3D system demonstrated an average improvement of 42% of the wrinkles and an average improvement of the melanin variation of 40.1%. CONCLUSIONS: The multi-modal approach with a single handpiece allows obtaining good outcomes with a very low incidence of adverse effects and a short downtime.